World | Iraq Corruption Shadows Iraq Rebuilding US investigates dozens of fraud cases as pricey projects disintegrate By Heather McPherson Posted Jul 30, 2007 2:48 PM CDT Copied ncies said Monday. Those Iraqis are in urgent need of water, sanitation, food and shelter, said the report by Oxfam and the NGO Coordination Committee network in Iraq.(AP Photo/Wisam Sami) (Associated Press) US auditors monitoring the rebuilding process in Iraq are battling forces they compare to "a second insurgency"—corruption and economic mismanagement. The Iraqi government is refusing to handle reconstruction projects worth billions of dollars, and US officials are now investigating more than 50 fraud cases, the BBC reports. Stuart Bowen, the inspector general overseeing Iraq reconstruction, describes the corruption as endemic and an "enemy to democracy." Last year, Iraq PM Nouri al-Maliki's government nearly exhausted its budget allocation for salaries but spent less than a quarter of the money set aside for rebuilding projects. Read These Next Gavin Newsom has filed a massive lawsuit against Fox News. New York Times ranks the best movies of the 21st century. A man has been deported for kicking an airport customs beagle. White House rolls with Trump's 'daddy' nickname. Report an error